The Experiment
by shadowjinx
Summary: After Korra's death, Mako must struggle with grieving over the loss of his loved one, keeping his promise, and facing an entirely new Equalist movement. NOT a MakoxOC fic. Heavy Makorra, slight Borra. mostly Mako-centric.
1. Promise

**Yeah, I probably shouldn't be posting another story. But I had this great idea (well at least it sounds great in my head) and I couldn't resist. This story NOT BASED off of madeofcola's comic of Korra's "death" but yes, it was inspired by it, so credits to her. (If you are a Makorra fan, her tumblr and deviantart (cola-san) is worth following/watching). I took a few phrases from the author's comic and excerpt but it is not a complete word-for-word copy. This chapter alone is based off of the comic but the future chapters will contain my own original plot. **

**Yes, there will be a couple of OCs but I'm only planning on adding a few (definitely less than 10). I can promise you that it is NOT a MakoxOC fic and that the story doesn't entirely revolve around the OC. This can be considered as a Mako-Centric fic as he plays a huge role in this story. In fact, his role is probably more dominant than the OC. This fic also contains heavy Makorra. **

**Summary: After Korra's death, Mako must struggle with grieving over the loss of his loved one, keeping his promise, and facing an entirely new Equalist movement. **

**Couples: Heavy Makorra, slight Borra, some BolinxOC and maybe OCxOC. Depends on where I go with this. **

"Argh!" groaned Korra as she leaned against the wall. Her damp, disheveled hair splattered everywhere, sticking to the wall, her nose, cheeks, eyes, and mouth, dirtying with sweat her face which was already contaminated with filth and grime. She clutched her side which was spilling with blood like an overflowing river showing no signs of halting. The rich, red color seeped into her water tribe apparel and began to dominate over the traditional blue and brown dye.

Mako's fingers fumbled over the piece of cloth he had been attempting to unfold in the past few minutes. He couldn't avert his eyes from Korra's wound. His hands shook too much; the only time he felt this frightened was when he witnessed first-hand his parents engulfed in the very element he bended: fire.

He hated that day, not because of the fact that he was now an orphan but because of the fact that there was nothing he could do. Nothing, except run and let the guilt burden within him forever. And if he didn't do something now, he would only add on to that burden.

_Work! _Mako pleaded his hands, finally taking his eyes off of his beloved to unnaturally focus so much of his energy into moving his fingers. _Slide the thumb under, _Mako instructed himself, as if the simple task of unfolding cloth was a complicated lab experiment. _Now lift the cloth…there you go…and repeat the process…_

Korra's moan of pain quickly brought Mako back to his sense as he finally managed to unravel the entire cloth. _Don't panic, _Mako ordered himself as he tried not to calculate how much time he had wasted by doing such simple job. Quickly, he pressed the cloth to her wound and willed himself to stay calm as Korra writhed in pain.

"Hang on!" he exclaimed as she squeezed her eyes shut as if she could block out the agony. "Bo's gonna find us some help!" He glanced over to the swinging door where the Equalist took off, the cause for all this suffering, Korra's and Mako's.

"Mako…" Korra whispered in a surprisingly calm manner. That was never good. Korra was not calm. Korra was fierce, hard-headed, impatient, and reckless. She was the girl that fearlessly challenged the notorious Amon to a duel. She was the girl that, in a literally heated moment of frustration, destroyed a 2,000-year-old historical treasure, as Tenzin would call his spinning airbending gates.

Calm meant that it was over. The war, the suffering, everything. Calm meant that Korra's job as the Avatar was finished. Calm meant that Korra was ready for it to end.

But Mako wasn't.

"You'll be okay, Korra," said Mako, ignoring Korra's tone while adding another scrap of cloth. "You're gonna be okay."

"Mako…" Korra whispered again but this time, she put a hand on Mako's arm. "It's okay. I've done my job."

"Dammit, Korra, don't say that!" cried Mako, slapping her hand away so he could continue his work. "Remember? I still owe you a drink."

"Two actually," corrected Korra, smirking. "You lost two bets."

"And I still have to buy you a ton of roses. Take you out to dinner. To places you haven't been. I-I…you and I…think we were meant for each other…" Mako's voice trailed off. Never before in his life had he wanted to slap himself so hard. Out of all the time in the world, he chose now to confess. Now, when the love of his life was fading from his very eyes. Now, when Korra had given him plenty of opportunities before, opportunities he didn't take. Choices he didn't make.

And yet, Korra still found it in her heart to forgive him, to stay with him after all that time.

"Hey…I said that…ages ago…can't believe…you still remember," said Korra, unable to speak in full-length sentences though she managed a chuckle. She was losing oxygen fast and Mako knew it as well as she did. _Dammit, Bolin, where are you?_

"Man…I hated…that day," Korra continued as her breathing became shallower.

"Save your breath, Korra," insisted Mako but Korra pressed on.

"I was…so stupid. So…impulsive…"

"I'm the one that was stupid, Korra."

Korra smirked. "Nice…to see you…admit it."

Mako smiled with her and reached for the bloody cloth but Korra stopped him. "I'm not…gonna make it…"

"Didn't I tell you not to say things like that!" cried Mako as he pushed Korra's hand away for a second time. Even so, he knew she was right. There was nothing he could do. But he couldn't help hoping that she'd live. He knew he was being stupid and irrational but he wasn't ready to accept the cruel reality. He didn't want a repeat of his parents' death when he only stood idly by as he watched them go.

But Mako wasn't standing idly by this time. This time he was doing something, wasn't he? This time he was going to make sure that he would save a life, not let it go. This time he was going to make a difference. Can't the Spirits give him credit for that?

"Tell you what," said Mako as he applied more pressure on her wound. "When we get outta here, I'm going to take you Kuang's Cuisine. My treat. I'll take care of the clothing, the food, everything. Or we could go to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery. Whatever you want. You pick. Then we could get Leechi juice and stroll in the park and watch the turtle ducks and…and…"

Mako's voice began to crack. He felt tears threatening to fall, something he didn't resist. He wasn't ready. He wasn't ready to let Korra go and he was sure that he never would be.

He watched as Korra's eyelids fluttered and slowly start to close. She was so pale, there was so much blood. Why did it take all of this for him to finally realize his true feelings for her?

"Hey, Mako?" asked Korra with her dying breath. "I have…a favor…to ask of you."

"Don't make me promise anything!" warned Mako, as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Tears blinded his eyesight and he was sure he was hiccupping. But he didn't dare break eye contact with Korra because he knew very well that he would never see those bright blue orbs open again.

"You really…don't have a choice…deal with it." Mako managed a smile. Even when she was on her deathbed, Korra was still Korra.

"Find…the next Avatar for me…will you?"

Korra's eyes were closed but Mako knew that she saw his nod.

Korra smiled. "And…teach him or her…firebending…promise?"

"I…"

Korra's hand slipped out of his own. Mako gritted his teeth and forced the grieving screams that he so desperately wanted to unleash back inside him. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers. He then slowly trailed his head down until he found her lips and softly kissed them. Her warmth was still there, even if she wasn't.

"Promise," he whispered as he heard Bolin's footsteps approach.

**Please review! I'd really like to see your thoughts on this before I continue. **


	2. 9 Years Later

**Wow guys, thanks for all the views, alerts, and especially to rendezvous with honeydew, Me, sun-shine99, Objective Mistress, Sarah Durnford, AvatarArtist13, and Jess for your reviews. They really motivated me to continue. **

**I'm sorry about the slowness of this chapter. It's more like an explanation chapter, setting the scene, the characters, and what not. Don't worry, there's only one OC here. But I promise that things will get really interesting later on. **

**I also apologize if the canon characters are OOC. I tried my best to think how they would act if they were older, given the circumstances and I really hope I didn't screw them up. I didn't watch today's episode, so hopefully there were no character personality changes in episode 8. **

**Enjoy!**

"I'm home!" Bolin announced as he turned the doorknob of his house and swung the door open to reveal a small but cozy kitchen. Loyal, old Pabu unraveled himself from Bolin's neck and sprung onto the kitchen table with the grace he retained from his past years performing circus tricks as the Fire Ferrets' mascot. A familiar, salty aroma immediately pervaded Bolin's nose and made his mouth water, his eyes shine, and mouth grin.

"Mmm…" hummed Bolin as he smacked his lips. "Are those stewed sea prunes I smell?"

"Your favorite," confirmed his wife as she waved at him from the stove, setting the fire to a low temperature to allow the stew to simmer. She smiled and walked into Bolin's outstretched arms to give him a peck on the cheek. "Well, aside from Narook's noodles of course."

Bolin laughed and returned the gesture with a full kiss on the lips. "Kumi, I'd choose your homemade Water Tribe dishes over the alternative any day."

"Good choice," replied Kumi as the couple separated. She gestured for him to sit at the dining table. "Stew should be ready in a few minutes. In the meantime, how was your day?"

"Depressing." Bolin's smile faded and was replaced with a dejected look.

"Oh…" said Kumi, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"You didn't come to the gym today," answered Bolin, flashing her a teasing smile which resulted in his unexpected flip from his chair as a small water jet collided with his face.

"Damn," said Bolin as he got to his feet, shaking away droplets of water clinging to his hair and causing Pabu to leap from the table into Kumi's arms. "Why did you have to be such a good pro-bender?"

"You deserved that," countered Kumi, stroking Pabu. Her eyes narrowed but her slight giggling afterward reassured Bolin that he was forgiven. "But remember, if my team had never made it into the tournament, we never would have met."

"Oh yes, proud supporter of the Fox Antelopes," declared Bolin, thumping his heart with his right fist. "But how can I support you when you don't even use my gym?"

"It's not _your _gym."

"Well, I'm the manager. Toza passed down the title to me."

"Didn't my teammates tell you anything regarding my absence?"

"Yeah, your brother told me you needed to run some errands. But it's always a rainy day when your favorite member of your favorite team fails to show up."

"Well, be glad the sun can shine again when you see me at home."

"It's more like a rainbow after a storm," laughed Bolin. "Any news from your father?"

"I didn't receive any hawks today."

"Guess the White Lotus didn't find anything regarding the new Avatar," said Bolin, his laughter quickly dissolving.

"Maybe they did," said Kumi, encouragingly. "You know how long those things can take to fly."

"I suppose…" mumbled Bolin as he propped his chin on his palm to stare at the bubbling stew. "It's been nearly a decade. I don't mean to degrade your father or any members of the White Lotus but I guess I'm just impatient."

"I know it's frustrating, but we mustn't lose hope. What do you think would've happened if Katara lost faith after the world waited and searched for Aang for 100 years?"

Bolin chuckled. "Guess that does make our predicament a little less aggravating. Anyway, seen Mako?"

"In his room, where else?" answered Kumi, irritated. She made no secret of her dislike for the brooding firebender.

"Is he any better?" asked Bolin, cautious as to not provoke his wife any further.

"You should ask him that yourself," said Kumi, setting down Pabu and walking over to the stew. "Might as well call him down; dinner's ready. Or bring it up to his room since he prefers being fed like a prisoner."

Bolin sighed and made way for the stairs. Normally, he would've welcomed a visit to his brother but nowadays a visit was more like a mandatory checkup on a depressed patient.

"Mako?" asked Bolin as he knocked on his brother's door. "You in there?"

The inhabitant gave a grunt in reply.

"May I come in?"

"Door's unlocked."

Bolin complied and opened the door. The room didn't hold much as Mako never took the initiative to decorate although he had plenty of free time on his hands. It only contained the necessities: a bed, a work table (something Mako barely used) and a window (something Mako rarely opened). The curtains were usually drawn, even at the most cloudless and sunny days.

"Hey," greeted Bolin as he walked inside.

The occupant of the bed surrounded by bottles of liquor gave a nod in reply. He took out the cigarette from his mouth to breathe out a cloud of smoke. This would be the only time where Mako found opening his window useful.

Bolin pointed to the bottles scattered around the bed. "Please tell me those are from yesterday."

"They are," assured Mako. "This is the only thing from today." Mako lifted his cigarette.

Bolin nodded as silence took over, something he absolutely despised. It reminded him of how much Mako had changed. Mako's "calm and collected" personality was still evident but his disputing emotions had rendered him spiritless. Smiling and laughing were tasks he now found difficult. He had lost himself in drinking and smoking, slowly shutting himself off from the world. From pro-bending, from Asami, even from his own brother.

It had been a wonder to everyone, including Bolin, why Mako didn't commit suicide, not that Bolin was complaining. But Bolin knew that, even if Mako wouldn't admit it, there was something anchoring him to the physical world. Something that wouldn't allow him to tie that noose or to consume himself into his own bending and Bolin was 110% sure that that something involved Korra.

But even so, it stung that Bolin himself wasn't the anchor. Sure, he missed Korra dearly but he yearned for Mako even more. He yearned for his brother, not the smoking drunkard lying on the bed that did nothing but mope. Bolin knew Mako still cared for him but it didn't help that he was treating him like a complete stranger. Heck, Bolin could probably hold a longer and more decent conversation with Asami than Mako and he was sure that feeling was mutual.

Thinking of Asami gave Bolin an idea.

"I saw Asami today while passing through on the way home," said Bolin truthfully. "Almost hit me with her moped."

Bolin gave his brother a hopeful grin but Mako merely closed his eyes in response.

"She asked how you were doing. She's been concerned about you ever since…well…"

Mako let out another puff of smoke and acted like he hadn't heard. But Bolin knew better and accepted that as a sign to shut up. Korra and Asami had always been heavy topics for Mako but fusing them together in one conversation was only allowed by Bolin because Mako loved him too much to incinerate him. Plus, his heart wouldn't be stable enough to endure another hole punctured by the loss of another loved one.

"No hawks today," Bolin started again, changing the subject. "No new Avatar. It's been what, eight years?"

"Nine," corrected Mako. Of course he would know. Of course he'd been counting the days since her death as if his math would miraculously bring her back.

"That long huh…you'd think they'd found something by now. Maybe the spirits are suggesting something?" Bolin gave a small chuckle which Mako ignored.

"Your dinner's getting cold!" Kumi called from downstairs.

"I'll bring it up for you," said Bolin as he turned his back to his brother. Mako nodded his thanks. There was no need to ask if Mako would join the couple at the dining table; all three residents of the house already knew the answer.

Sure enough, Kumi had already set up a dinner tray, including stew and leechi juice, for Mako which Bolin took upstairs.

"You're too nice, Bolin," said Kumi when Bolin returned downstairs. "I don't understand why you keep agreeing to this."

"He protected me on the streets when we were younger," explained Bolin, defending Mako as the couple sat down to enjoy their meal. "Now it's my turn to care for him."

"Siblings don't treat each other like servants. I should know."

"He needs me, Kumi. He has no other place to go to."

"He could've simply stayed at Asami's. You know she wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, but he would," sighed Bolin though he perfectly understood why Mako decided to leave her mansion. Before Korra's death, Asami had noticed the way Mako looked at her and the way he looked at Korra. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew Mako's eyes always seemed more radiant, his smile always seemed to grow bigger, and his laugh always seemed to carry a more joyful ring to it when he was with the Avatar. It didn't take Asami long to put the two and two together though she refused to give up Mako.

But when Korra died, Asami also noticed Mako crumbling. She saw him cry, she saw him tear things apart, and there were times where she didn't see him at all due to the fact that he had closed himself off in his room. And that was when Asami knew it was time to let him go.

She quietly confided to Mako that she knew of his true feelings for her and Korra and that she was perfectly fine with him loving the latter. But her feelings didn't hinder her kindness as she allowed him to continue to live in the mansion.

But the couple both knew that it wouldn't feel right for either of them if Mako continued his residency at the mansion which is why Asami accepted the fact that Mako agreed to live with Bolin and his wife in their new home in the Dragon Flats district.

"It's just until he can sort out his feelings and settle down into a place of his own," continued Bolin.

"And that can take longer than the hundred year war. I don't like it. All he does is waste time and money smoking, drinking, and gambling."

"At least it's his own money he earns from working at the power plant."

"At least?" Kumi stood up, her voice rising. "The least he can do in return for our kindness is to contribute to the household! Not spend every yuan he earns on himself! He's wasting himself and us! I don't understand why he won't just commit suicide!"

"You didn't mean that," said Bolin sternly, standing up to match Kumi's height.

"N-no…I didn't…." Kumi sat back down and look down at her hands sprawled on her lap. "I-I'm sorry…"

Kumi glanced up when she felt Bolin's hands on her own. "I'm sorry too," said Bolin, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry I dragged you into my problem. You shouldn't have to deal with this."

"You're my husband," replied Kumi, smiling slightly. "Whatever's your problem is now my problem. We took a vow."

Bolin smiled back. "C'mon, don't want the stew to get colder than it already is."

From upstairs, Mako twirled his finished cigarette between his fingers, listening to the couple's conversation and ignoring his own dinner. His emotionless countenance didn't falter when he heard Kumi's suicide comment. He was aware of the fact that many were curious of his evasion from suicide.

But he refused to satisfy anyone's curiosity, even Bolin's. Though he managed to close himself off from the world, there was something he could never avert, the reason of his restraint: his promise to Korra.

**Thanks for reading and please review! **


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